When the husband has COVID is not a good time to decide to do something big ... like replacing the swingset. But when a swingset comes available on Marketplace for an amazing price, you have to snatch it up right then before someone else does. Especially when the swingset in your backyard is falling apart. Needless to say, I relied on friends to help me a lot. They came with their trailer and helped load everything up at the owner's yard and then cart it all to my yard and unload it. The kids were excited. Except for one thing. It was going to be a while before the new swingset got put together. Do you know how hard it is for a five-year-old to wait for something he really wants? Especially when it's literally within sight. It's so hard.
Several times a day, my son would come up to me and say how he wished the new swingset could be put together right then. But Daddy was sick and there was no way I could disassemble an old swingset and put together the "new" one by myself. I'm strong, but not that strong. I admit it. Needless to say, when Daddy finally started getting his energy back and going a bit stir-crazy, he went out in the backyard and worked on things a few pieces at a time. Excitement and agony mingled as progress could be seen, but the new swingset still couldn't be played on. Honestly? It really didn't take that long once he got started. Pretty sure we had it up within a week of acquiring it. But to a five- and seven-year-old, that's forever. Was it worth it? Yes. They've played on it a bit each day since getting it up and I know they'll be out there even more once things start to cool off again in the fall. And just like that, the agony of waiting is over and it's old news. I sometimes catch myself doing that--waiting for something with such excitement and enthusiasm and then feeling it sizzle out afterwards. And it's not just mundane things, either. I have to remind myself of all those years of praying for and yearning for a baby when I'm in the throws of disciplining the children who finally came into our lives. We have to remind ourselves of how much we wanted to be in a church family where we had multiple opportunities to serve when we catch ourselves feeling like we're doing almost too much. I have to remind myself I wanted to be an author when frustrated by a round of edits to get me even better. There's always something to learn in the waiting, though. My children learned that they could, in fact, make it those few days before the new set got put together, and that it was worth the wait. They learned that their Daddy will always keep promises and make things work even if it takes longer than they think it should. And in waiting for these children, I learned to appreciate them more (not always, but more), and to try and cherish all the moments. So, if you're waiting for something, be it a swingset or something else, sit still and listen. See if you can find out what you might be learning in the waiting. And then be sure to enjoy the something good when it finally arrives. What have you had to wait for? Did you learn anything?
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This is a place for me to share thoughts and ideas not just related to writing. Thoughts about what's going on in my life, about an idea I got that I thought shareworthy, or just a funny anecdote.
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